Florida Legislator Attitudes Toward Inter-Jurisdictional Policy Responsibilities

Abstract

The classic problem of federal government is how to balance the division of responsibilities between the general and constituent governments to insure stable political system for both the attainment of justice and economic prosperity.' To resolve the problem in the United States, the architects of the nation established compound republic. This arrangement according to James Madison would allow for a double security because the different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.2 The United States Constitution insured that compound republic would be established. Over the years, however, the maintenance of compound republic has not been an easy task for policy makers. The question of what should be the division of policy responsibilities between the national government and the many state and local governments existed at the outset of the Republic, has been constant problem, and still flourishes today. V. O. Key, Jr. succinctly framed the issue: A perennial problem in the American federal system has been to make the most appropriate assignment of jurisdiction to the states and to the national government. The question whether given function should be undertaken by the